A study looking at Seattle’s minimum wage hikes has found that it is likely hurting jobs.

According to this study, which is being conducted by the University of Washington, the increase in minimum wage is actually hurting the town’s employees. The study is for the second wage hike, which brought wages up to between $10.50 and $13. The minimum wage depends on the size of business and type of work.

The increase of minimum wage in Seattle to the range of $10.50 to $13 went into effect on January 2016. The first jump came in April 2015 after the Seattle City Council approved a bill to increase wages to $15 for everyone by 2021. Read

Illinois is on track to become the first state in the U.S. with a “Junk” credit rating.

S&P Global Ratings is warning that Illinois could be dropped to a Junk credit rating if the state isn’t able to figure out its budget. The Republican Governor and Democrats that control the General Assembly are feuding over the state’s budget.

Illinois’ politicians have until the new fiscal year, which starts on July 1, to figure out the budget. The risk of the state’s credit rating being lowered will hopefully be enough to get lawmakers working together. Read

Donald Trump announced that the Mexico wall may come equipped with solar panels.
Source: Shutterstock

Much has been said of the wall that will prevent Mexicans to head over to the U.S. without documentation, and now it appears it may use solar energy to power the region. Trump was quick to point out that he came up with the idea.

“Solar wall, panels, beautiful. I mean actually think of it, the higher it goes the more valuable it is. Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea,” he said. Trump added that the wall would help pay for clean energy and help fund the wall during a rally in Iowa. Read

The event was much more toned down this year and didn’t have as much royal fare.
This included the Queen coming in a car, rather than a horse-drawn carriage.
The Queen also didn’t wear her royal robes to the event and the crown sat to her side, instead of on her head.
Queen Elizabeth II wore a blue dress and hat to match. The hat had yellow flowers on it.
Some have compared the similarity of the hat to the flag for the European Union.
The Queen’s speech lasted for nine minutes this year, which is shorter than typical.
The speech isn’t actually written by the Queen, but is instead authored by the Prime Minister and staff.
Possible reasons for the lack of royal fare could be Prince Philip’s hospitalization and another recent event that may cut down preparation time for the Queen’s speech.
The Queen’s speech included the announcement for 27 bills.
Of the new bills that were announced, eight had to do with Brexit.
The speech didn’t contain any mention of President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, which is adding to rumors that there has been a delay in plans.
Other bills included one for the right to be forgotten, another that will ban “letting fees” and more.

You can learn more about the Queen’s speech to Parliament by following these links. Read

Saudi King Salman has removed Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef from the line of succession.

The move from the Saudi King has Prince Mohammed bin Salman taking on the title of Crown Prince and also puts him next in line for succession. This resulted in the previous Crown Prince being relived from all of his positions.

Newly-appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the son of the Saudi King. The previous Crown Prince is his cousin. The change in power went smoothly and it doesn’t appear there will be a conflict from it. It also got the approval from 31 of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, which weighs in on matters of succession. Read

There’s no doubt that money and politics are very intertwined these days. InvestorPolitics was created to filter through the conventional media noise, serve up some of the most important policy issues of the day and explain how they could impact your personal finances and your retirement.

And we want to hear what YOU have to say. If there are issues you feel particularly passionate about, please send your thoughts to letters@investorplace.com and we will consider publishing your submission as an article. Letters must be less than 500 words and include your name and state of residence.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of our writers and do not reflect the views of InvestorPlace Media, LLC or those of our partners.